Brighten up! Finding Happiness after Alcohol Rehab

By: Carol Morriscey

Symptoms of depression, or generally decreased mood, are often associated with alcohol addiction, as well as the time period following alcohol addiction treatment. Feeling down can make you want to stay isolated, making rebuilding your life and reconnecting with friends and family difficult. Throughout alcohol rehab the psychological problems underlying an alcohol addiction are addressed, however you can continue to improve your mood even following alcohol rehab. Below are some effective and efficient ways to substantially improve your mood!

Change the Way You Think

The first step in improving your mood is to recognize negative thoughts. Acknowledging your negative thoughts is a great alternative to trying to stop the negative thoughts. Ironically, by trying to stop negative thoughts, it only perpetuates them.

Once you acknowledge and accept your negative thoughts, you are able to begin challenging them. Instead of trying to place them out of your mind, try asking yourself why you believe what you are thinking. Is there another way to think about the situation? Is your perspective biased? Is there a more realistic or objective way to think about the situation? Often times, we are much harder on ourselves that we would be on anyone else. By re-evaluating your negative thoughts, it is often possible to reach a less negative, and more realistic perspective.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

A huge part of a successful recovery from addiction is separating yourself from the people who may trigger use. Therefore, following alcohol rehab many people reach out to create new social circles. In the crucial transitionary phase, seek out people who are positive. The people we spend our time with has a huge impact on our own mood and perspectives. Therefore, we should spend our time with those who inspire our own positivity!

Find Purpose

This is something we repeat over and over—but that’s because it’s important! Finding purpose in your life is crucial not only for a successful recovery from alcohol addiction, but also for finding happiness. Find something that makes you feel good about yourself and the work you are doing, something in which you can take pride and gives you a reason to wake up in the morning. Engaging in meaningful work gives our lives a purpose, building resilience, self-confidence, and happiness.

Our caring staff at Searidge Alcohol Rehab are committed to helping you find joy and happiness in your life following alcohol addiction. If you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, give us a call today to discuss the options for filling your life with happiness again.

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